2000
#5,685
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,599
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.08
Rare Last name
Risner
Derived from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements "ris" meaning "to rise" and "hari" meaning "army".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,265 Americans carry the last name Risner. That puts it at #6,042 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 54,709 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Risner surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
6.3K
1 in 54,709
Census rank
#6,042
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,463 bearers of the surname Risner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6042nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Risner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Risner
The surname Risner is believed to have originated in Germany, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to have derived from the German word "risen," which means "giant" or "large person." This suggests that the name may have been initially bestowed upon someone of exceptional stature or physical size.
In some regions of Germany, such as Bavaria and Swabia, the name was also spelled as "Riesner" or "Riessner," which further solidifies its connection to the German word "riese" (giant). These regional variations in spelling were common in the past, as standardized spellings were not widely adopted until more recent times.
One of the earliest known records of the Risner name can be found in the city archives of Nuremberg, Germany, where a certain Hans Risner was mentioned in a document dated 1562. This document detailed a property transaction, providing insights into the lives of early bearers of the name.
Another notable historical figure bearing the Risner surname was Johann Risner, a German Protestant theologian born in 1532 in Nuremberg. He authored several influential works on theology and was a prominent figure in the Protestant Reformation movement.
In the 17th century, a family by the name of Risner settled in the town of Schwabach, near Nuremberg. This family is credited with establishing a successful textile business, which contributed to the economic prosperity of the region. Some descendants of this family later emigrated to other parts of Europe and beyond.
During the 18th century, a notable bearer of the Risner name was Karl Risner, a German artist and engraver born in 1725 in Nuremberg. His intricate copper engravings depicting landscapes and architectural scenes were highly regarded in his time and can still be found in various art collections.
As the name spread across Europe, it also found its way to other parts of the world through migration and exploration. One such individual was Peter Risner, a German-born explorer who accompanied the famous naturalist Alexander von Humboldt on his expeditions to South America in the early 19th century.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who carried the Risner surname throughout history. While the name's origins can be traced back to Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with bearers contributing to various fields and endeavors.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Risner
Among Census respondents with the surname Risner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Risner bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Risner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 5,069
- Two or more races3.6% · 197
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 108
- Black or African American0.7% · 39
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 36
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Risner
Risner appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#5,925
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,816
+217 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 1.97
Rank movement Down 240 places
2020
#6,042
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,463
-353 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 1.83
Rank movement Down 117 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,685 | 5,599 | 2.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,925 | 5,816 | 1.97 | +217 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 240 places |
| 2020 | #6,042 | 5,463 | 1.83 | -353 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 117 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Risner surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,925 | #6,042 | -2.0% |
| Count | 5,816 | 5,463 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.97 | 1.83 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Risner bearers went from 5,816 to 5,463 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 117 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,925 to #6,042.
FAQ
Risner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Risner?
Name Census estimates that about 6,265 living Americans carry the surname Risner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 54,709 residents.
How common is Risner?
Risner ranks #6,042 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.83 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,463 people with the surname Risner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,265), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.83 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Risner.
Has Risner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Risner went from 5,816 recorded bearers to 5,463. That is a decrease of 353 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,925 to #6,042.
What does the Census say about the background of Risner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Risner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Risner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (5,069 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Risner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (2.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Risner (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Risner mean?
Derived from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements "ris" meaning "to rise" and "hari" meaning "army". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Risner (1.83 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Risner?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Risner is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.